


Sumner Again

by aceofvalor (kiterious)



Series: Summer Hope [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: F/M, Gen, Summerhopeshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 17:09:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12303711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiterious/pseuds/aceofvalor
Summary: With the return of the summer season comes the return of a certain someone.





	Sumner Again

Touko sighed as she stared at the familiar sight of the scrolling words above the screen. She frowned as the same old news scrolled by.

Pokemon outbreak on Route 16, it announced. She figured she should go. She couldn't miss out on a chance to get a new Pokemon no matter how tired she was. The anticipation of this new discovery gave her enough energy to head off to Route 16 with a grin and a bounce in her step.

Her boredom didn't come from not enjoying being a Pokemon trainer, far from it. She loved catching and raising Pokemon, and she still jumped for joy with every successful capture and every battle won. She was still proud of her team for their victory over the Elite Four and the Champion, Alder. But she couldn't help but feel like something was missing...

She smiled as she entered Nimbasa. It was impossible not to smile with all the bright lights and happy people around. They called to her, begging her to come enjoy herself. She gave in with a sigh. After all, the Pokemon would be there for another few hours at least. She hadn't been to the city in a while, and Elesa must be wondering where she'd been.

She grinned as the large purple building came into sight. Elesa's shining personality wasn't the only reason Touko liked visiting her, though it helped. Touko also loved Elesa's Gym and, most importantly, the roller coasters twisting throughout it. But just as she was about to head towards it, a glimpse of something to her right stopped her. A glimpse of something orange and blue.

She whirled around to face the familiar colours. It couldn't be, could it?

She lit up as her eyes met the man standing outside the ferris wheel.

"Austin!" she called, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Touko?" he replied, confirming that he was indeed Austin, the Ace Trainer she'd met almost a year ago.

"You're back," Touko chirped, no longer bothering to restrain the giddy grin spreading across her face. She threw herself at him, wrapping her friend in a tight hug.

His eyes widened and his face turned dark pink, but he put an arm around the young trainer and smiled.

Touko pushed him away, her face dropping into a frown. "Where have you been? I came looking for you and you were just... gone."

"Sorry about that," he said, his eyes darting away from hers. "It's just I... wait, you came looking for me?" he asked, looking back at her in surprise.

"Of course I did. You're my friend, and you just vanished." The look on Touko's face could only be described as pouting.

Austin couldn't help it. Touko's expression made him burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Touko insisted, but it was easy to tell she was holding back a smile.

"No, it's not. But you are." Austin smirked when his laughter died down. "I'm sure the story of what I've been doing isn't nearly as interesting as your adventures here in Unova. I heard on the news that a young trainer single-handedly stopped Team Plasma. Was that...?"

"Me? Yep!" Touko smiled and puffed up her chest. "I beat their leader, N, and his father, Ghetsis, in a Pokemon battle to save Unova. And I caught Reshiram, the legendary dragon of fire. Oh, and I beat Alder and the Elite Four so I'm the Champion of Unova now," she bragged, striking a winning pose.

"Oh? The Champion?" Austin grinned. He was hardly surprised. After all, she'd beat him every time they battled. "Well then, may I have the honour of a battle against the new Champion? And then maybe... we could go on the ferris wheel again?" he added after a moment of hesitation. "I'd meant to go on it anyways, but... it just wouldn't be the same without you," he admitted.

"Sure," Touko agreed. "Besides, I'm dying to show you my new Pokemon."

After an extremely quick battle between Touko's Samurott and Austin's Swoobat, which Touko obviously won, they took their seats on the ferris wheel.

"So, are you still nervous around heights?" Touko asked as the car kicked into motion.

"Me? Not a chance," Austin said, casually leaning back in his seat as they lifted off. "I've grown out of that silly old fear."

"That's good to hear." Touko smiled. He really had grown, even if it was only small things. The sharpness of his face, the length of his hair, his height... but he still wore that self assured grin she was so used to seeing. She was a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to witness his adorable nervousness this time around, but she was proud of him.

Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop and the lights flickered before fading off.

"Wh-what's happening?" Austin asked, his eyes widening.

Before Touko could answer, a voice echoed through the speakers.

"Hello. On behalf of the Nimbasa City park, we apologize for the delay. We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. The ride will be up and running soon. In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy the scenic view," the voice recited happily.

"We're stuck?" Austin cried out, his self assurance instantly dropping away. "But... but... we're in the air!" he exclaimed, looking out the window for the first time. He had barely caught a glance before he snapped his eyes shut and sat back in his seat. Of course, of course the ride had to get stuck with them at the top.

"Are you okay?" Touko asked as Austin's fists clenched and his breathing sped up.

"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth. "What were you saying about Team Plasma earlier?" he asked, desperate for a distraction.

"Sure," Touko agreed. "First let me tell you about my battle with N."

As she spoke she got more animated in her retelling of all that had happened since last summer. As Touko got more into her story, so did Austin. By focusing on the sound of her voice instead of the heights, he was able to regain some semblance of calm.

Just as Touko was finishing her tale of how she wiped the floor with Ghetsis, the ferris wheel lurched into motion. Both trainers' eyes widened in surprise. As their cart made its way towards the ground, Austin's nervousness lowered with it.

The second the ride operator opened their door the young Ace Trainer shot out of it.

"Free at last!" he cried, his feet landing gratefully on the ground. The sound of Touko jumping down behind him quickly made him regain his composure. "Sorry about that... I, uh..."

He stopped when he saw the look on her face. She was barely holding back laughter, her shoulders already starting to shake from it.

"Hey, are you laughing at me?" he asked, feigning a hurt expression. "Some friend you are."

At that Touko's laughter burst out. "Austin, I missed you," she said when she'd finally calmed down.

She had only just realized how true that was. Sure, she'd had all these great adventures, but she'd had no one to share them with. Cheren and Bianca had both been busy with their own dreams, and N had disappeared after Ghetsis had been defeated. She'd needed a friend like Austin.

"I missed you too, Touko," Austin agreed. "But it's getting late. We should both head home."

"I guess," Touko agreed reluctantly. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Of course," he nodded.

"Good. Don't vanish on me this time," she warned.

Austin laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be here. I promise."


End file.
